"We'll excuse him, but he'll come, and when he does come he'll get the message.

"It's all about land rights. Last time I meet him was in this room. It was a brand new building. I said to him that I had a message for him.

He promised me to come to this meeting, to today's meeting. Well he didn't come yesterday. I wonder if he'll come?

Yothu Yindi Foundation chairman Galarrwuy Yunupingu

"Land rights is the most pressing issue for Aboriginal people in north-east Arnhem Land."

In a statement, Mr Abbott said he would fulfil his commitment in a few weeks.

"You might remember that Galarrwuy made me very welcome on his land this time last year and, for my part, I committed to spend my first week in a remote Indigenous community in government, should we win the election which we did, on his land," he said.

"He was very generous in accepting that offer and in a few weeks time I'll be going up there to fulfil that commitment.

Mr Abbott said there were a number of "good people" representing the Government at the festival.

"We've got up there at the Garma Festival... the Attorney-General Senator Brandis, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Senator Nigel Scullion, the Parliamentary Secretary Mr [Alan] Tudge, so the Government is very well represented up there.

"The chairman of my advisory council Warren Mundine will be up there, Marcia Langton who has been Andrew Forrest's right hand in the Forrest review, she's up there.

"A lot of good people are there and I'm looking forward to being up there myself in a few weeks time."

'A spear in the heart of racism'

Senator Scullion told the Garma crowd Australia needed to "do better" on the issue of land rights, and that constitutional recognition would be a "spear in the heart of racism".

He said the land rights reform that Mr Yunipingu was calling for can be achieved without scrapping the Act.

"I will not change land rights act unless land councils support it," Senator Scullion said.

He said Government and Aboriginal land councils should not be the "gatekeepers" of economic development.